South Africa Edition 2

THE MARKET
After 40 years in South Africa, industry leader
Avis is an icon in the car rental industry.
Clients experience the Avis promise, “We try
harder”, because every Avis staff member is a
Brand Ambassador, and each makes a personal
commitment to exceed customer expectations
at every interface. Only then can they don the
distinctive red Avis uniform.
When customers see the red uniform, they
can rest assured they’re being taken care of by
someone who lives up to the Avis promise. Due
to the success of Avis as an employer and skills
developer, its staff has recently doubled.
Destinations include all major cities, towns,
sites of interest and international locations. Avis
enjoys support from the mid to upper-end of the
car rental market, and all Avis Southern Africa’s
businesses - which include the Avis operations
in Norway and Sweden - are market leaders.
Southern Africa is the largest Avis licensee
outside the US.
With an extremely high brand trust factor,
Avis’ clientele ranges from families on holiday
to business people who need reliable transport.
Many are return customers, who know Avis is
more about people than about cars.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The 2006 Association of South African Travel
Agents (ASATA) awards saw Avis taking Best
Car Rental Company in South Africa for the
fifth consecutive year. Avis is the first car rental
company in the history of the ASATA awards to
accomplish this.
In its 40 years of service to South Africa, Avis
has reached 40 percent of the market share - no
mean feat given the size of the market and the
number of competitors vying for a piece of the
pie.
Avis has played a pioneering role in the
development of car rental as an integral part
of the Southern African travel and tourism
infrastructure. Its people, advanced technology
and comprehensive product range continue to set
standards for the industry.
HISTORY
In 1967, with a “rental fleet” of three cars and
a R20,000 loan, Zeda Car Rental and Tours in
Bloemfontein, was established - later to become
Avis Southern Africa.
Avis itself was born in Detroit in 1946, the
brainchild of Warren E Avis who noted the brisk
development in commercial aviation after World
War II, and figured that people would need to get
from airports to other destinations.
In 1969, Avis Inc - the international holding
company of the Avis brand - developed an
association with Zeda, which began trading
under the Avis name.
Many years of innovation, expansion and
dedication followed, putting Avis firmly on the
map in southern Africa, both as a favoured car
rental company and as a major player in the
tourism trade.
Many challenges faced the South African
operation. The car rental concept was virtually
unknown; creating a market meant changing
travel habits and even lifestyles. Getting a
foothold in airport terminals took years of
lobbying and negotiation.
Avis has maintained its lead in the South
African car rental market through continuous
innovation - including state-of-the-art technology
- and an almost fanatical focus on service. In
1980, it expanded into the longer-term market,
establishing a leasing division.
Prior to 1994, in anticipation of the
normalisation of South Africa’s political status
and the potential for regional travel, Avis
expanded into neighbouring countries. Today,
its footprint covers the entire sub-continent from
Angola to Zimbabwe.
Avis SA is now the largest licensee outside
the US (other than its own licensor, Avis plc) in
the worldwide Avis group. The company has the
largest car rental fleet in the world.
THE PRODUCT
The Avis product line demonstrates attention to
people, and to innovation.
Avis Rent-A-Car serves corporate and leisure
travellers and has these additional specialist
divisions:
• Avis Chauffeur Drive: Chauffeur driven
services for discerning travellers
• Avis Luxury Cars: “Special occasion”
vehicles, such as the latest and sportiest
models available on the market
• Avis Point-to-Point: An inner-city transfer
service
• Avis Van Rental: Offers small to medium
businesses a convenient and affordable facility
for back-up light commercial vehicles
• Avis Truck Rental
• Zeda Cars: Retailers of high quality, lowmileage
ex-Avis rental vehicles
Avis Fleet Services handles fleet financing
and management; its value-added divisions are:
• Fleet Accident Management: Manages
accidents, costs and repairs on behalf of fleet
owners
• MasterDrive: Offers advanced driver training
• Car Mall: Retailers of high quality, highmileage
ex-Avis leased vehicles
• Van rental: Allows clients to rent a van on a
daily basis
The company’s dedicated toll-free helpline
assists with any product queries.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Avis has made it a simple and efficient process for
clients to access information and book services
online.